Search Ends for Kayaker in B.C.

19-year-old Peter Thompson disappeared after waterfall

Officials have identified the young kayaker who disappeared on the Cheakamus River in British Columbia on Friday as 19-year-old Peter Thompson. Thompson, of Canmore, Alberta, was paddling with friends when he went over an 18-foot waterfall and never reappeared. “It’s a really straightforward waterfall and he had run it twice before the day before that,” friend Chris McTaggart said. “It was just a complete freak accident he hit a rock and missed the stroke to get his bow in the air and he basically just submerged parallel to the waterfall and disappeared.” His paddle and lifejacket emerged downstream, but neither Thompson nor his boat were found. Thompson was the head coach for the Bow Valley Kayak Club and Alberta Whitewater Association.

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Heli-Skiing Group Illegally Cut Trees

Washington ranger district issues violation

Washington's Methow Valley Ranger District has issued a notice of noncompliance to a heli-skiing company that cut more than two dozen trees on a high ridge in the North Cascades. Mazama-based North Cascade Heli-Skiing illegally cleared and topped the trees in at least two areas in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in order to create better landing sites. Backcountry skiers took pictures of the stumps of whitebark pine, subalpine larch, and fire trees, some of which were around 300 years old. “They are a very slow-growing species on a very harsh site, so to reestablish trees is tough,” said Jennifer Zbyszewski, recreation manager for the Methow Valley Ranger District. The Forest Service and the district will work to determine a penalty for the outfit, which normally charges $985 for a day of skiing.

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Grizzly Kills Leashed Dog in Banff

Trails and campgrounds closed

Several trails in Banff National Park are closed following a fatal attack on a dog by a grizzly bear last week. Leo Mitzel was hiking with his Jack Russell terrier on Thursday when the adult bear approached them and killed the dog, which was on a leash at the time of the attack. Mitzel, who runs the nearby Skoki Lodge, was not harmed. In response, officials immediately closed Merlin Meadows and Red Deer Lakes campgrounds; they have since closed additional trails and campgrounds at Hidden Lake and Bear Lake. Parks Canada wildlife conflict specialist Brianna Burley called the incident "abnormal." As of Sunday, the closures remained in place.

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Berlin Marathon Ends in Controversy

Speculation that race finish was thrown

Geoffrey Mutai edged out his training partner Dennis Kimetto by one second to win the 2012 Berlin Marathon in what was one of the closest races of the season—maybe. The Kenyan pair matched each other stride-for-stride for the first 26.2 miles, but over the closing straightaway it didn’t appear that either Mutai or Kimetto gave a final kick. Mutai finished with a time of 2:04:15, and Kimetto came in at 2:04:16. Race announcers questioned whether the finish had been pre-planned and LetsRun.com went as far as to say, “The integrity of our sport is at stake.” Why? The victory gave Mutai the 2011-12 World Marathon Majors title, which carries with it a $500,000 purse. (Second place in the WMM earns $0.) Kimetto didn’t stand to win anything—other than the race—by finishing in first rather than second. The top finishers in the Berlin, New York City, Boston, London, and Chicago marathons earn points toward the two-year World Marathon Majors series.

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Zoo Director Jailed for Wallaby Drowning

Will face 30 days on charges of animal cruelty

Virginia zoo director Meghan Mogensen has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for animal cruelty after drowning an adult wallaby named Parmesan in January. Parmesan was being treated for a minor eye injury when another zoo employee found the animal’s body soaking in a plastic bag inside a dumpster.

Mogensen initially said that she had humanely euthanized the wounded animal on orders of a senior zoo official, a claim that was disproved when a necropsy of the animal showed clear signs of drowning. In addition to jail time, Mogensen will suffer a $1,250 fine and a six-month suspension of her driver’s license for the illegal possession of animal anesthetics.